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Strength Training For Endurance Athletes

If you are like most endurance athletes, you are probably not doing much or any strength training.

As an endurance athlete, I understand that you would rather be out running or cycling then lifting weights in the gym. It has also been my experience, over 20 years as a Sports Chiropractor and over 12 years as a coach, that many endurance athletes are not exactly sure about what type of strength training they should be doing.

Of course there are thousands of different types of exercises, repetition and set variations which is why I also suggest working with a coach so you will know what is best for you.

However, the workouts below are a great place to start. These sessions are short but very effective and you will get the most “bang for your buck” so that you can get your strength training in and still have time to go for your runs or rides.

So, let’s get right to it. In order to make strength gains, you are going to lift three times a week. Once you have gained strength, you can back off to once a week to maintain those gains. This program below would be great to do in the off-season or in the early-in-your-build season.

You are going to do a combination of heavy lifts and high intensity body weight exercises and you are going to do them three day a week with one day of rest in between.

On the heavy lifts we are going to do what is called Strong Lifts 5×5. You do 5 sets of 5 reps, The key here is to lift HEAVY. If you can do 5 sets of 5 reps at a specific weight, increase the weight the next time you do the workout. If you can not do 5 sets of 5 reps., keep the weight the same until you can do 5 sets of 5 reps. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

For example: On set 1 you do 5 reps, set 2, 5 reps, set 3, 5 reps, but on set 4 you can only do 3 reps and on set 5 you can only do 1 rep. Keep the weight the same until you can complete 5 sets of 5 reps.

Please make sure you have someone who is experienced with these exercises show you the proper form. You are lifting heavy and we don’t want you to get hurt. Also, if you have any injuries make sure you talk with your sports chiropractor or physical therapist before trying these exercises.

Author Bio: Dr Jeff Banas

Dr Jeff went from a 270 pound FATMAN, to a 205 pound 8 time IRONMAN FINISHER.

Like many other people, Dr. Jeff was a high school and college athlete and never had to think about being over weight, but somehow life caught up to him, and over the years Dr. Jeff began to gradually gain weight. Well, that gradual weight gain ended up creating a six foot two, thirty two year old weighing close to 270 POUNDS!

Not only was he very overweight, he also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, was depressed about the way he looked, and was on a crash course to developing countless diseases related to obesity. After years of struggling with fad diets, gimmick supplements, and ineffective exercise programs, Dr. Jeff had enough.

He began studying exercise physiology, nutrition, and various training methods and began competing in mini triathlons. One thing lead to another before he knew it, Dr. Jeff lost over 70 pounds and finished the Ironman Triathlon, which is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, then followed by a 26.2 mile run all in one day. Dr Jeff was a true Fatman To Ironman!

Dr. Jeff not only found a new body, he found a new life. This weight loss and his personal experience training and competing in endurance sports lead Dr. Jeff to focus his practice on the prevention and treatment of sports related injuries, sports performance and weight loss.

Dr. Jeff now wears two hats, one as a healer helping people with pain and injuries, and one as a weight loss and endurance coach.

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